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24-Hour “Moby Dick” Marathon at SF’s Maritime Museum w/ 100+ Readers (2022)

EVENT UPDATE: There are no upcoming events known for this event series - please check the organizer website for any updates.

“Our first port is San Francisco…and thence, I hardly know where.” — Herman Melville, 28 May 1860

San Francisco welcomes Herman Melville back to the Barbary Coast with a marathon reading of Moby-Dick.

Join us as we read, sing, dance, and perform Herman Melville’s great American novel Moby-Dick in a unique live collaboration.

Surrounded by aquatic-themed WPA murals, and overlooking the Aquatic Park Pier and Cove, a diverse crew of over 100 readers will add their own voices to Melville’s musings, orations, and unforgettable characters.

San Francisco Maritime Moby Dick Marathon 2022
Saturday, October 22 (Noon) to Sunday, October 23 (Noon), 2022
Maritime Museum 900 Beach Street, San Francisco
FREE – RSVP

  • Masks are required at all times.
  • Attendees can come and go as they please.
  • If you do intend on staying for a while, wear comfortable clothes. Our chairs are not known for being “all nighters”. There will be limited spaces for sleeping bags.
  • Costumes are encouraged!
  • Drugs/alcohol/weapons/vaping are not allowed. Usage will result in being asked to leave.
  • We will have free coffee available. Light snacks are allowed.
  • The museum is an artifact within itself. We ask that you be respectful of the building and leave no trace. 
  • We will have some extra copies of Moby Dick on hand but feel free to bring your own.
  • The event may be recorded or live streamed. Your picture may be taken for promotional purposes.
  • No animals other than service dogs are allowed. If you have a pet whale, kindly park them in the cove.
  • People disrupting the reading will be asked to leave.
  • The event is free and you do not need a ticket, but please register HERE
  • A scheduled reader might not make it on time or has to drop out, if that happens, we accept volunteers from the audience.

“A whale of a 24 hour marathon reading“ – sfgate.com

Want to participate? They are currently taking sign-ups for readers, who can choose to either read a favorite chapter or be assigned to one by time. Learn More.


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